Park at the Radisson, the parking ramp, or street parking where available
Allow for time to go through buffet line!
August 27 - Radisson Ballroom
This Week: 2026 Summer Youth Short-term Exchange Program: Erin Kujak with Sofi and Greta
Sofi and Greta will be sharing their summer youth exchange experiences. Each student traveled overseas to live with a family and then hosted a student at their home. Our club sponsored these two students, our district sent 11 students, and Rotary sends between 7,000 and 9,000 students each year. This is an amazing program that builds bridges and peace around the world.
Sofi Cromheecke attends Onalaska High School. She is involved with the Rotary Interact Club, Green Earth Society, Women in STEM club, and choir. She plays soccer and tennis. Sofi spent time in Spain this summer through the Rotary Youth Exchange Summer Program living with a host family and then hosted a student at her home in Onalaska.
Greta Kleven attends Onalaska High School. She is involved with the Rotary Interact Club, Women in STEM club, and band. She enjoys cooking, baking, hiking, quilting, and sewing. She spent time in France this summer through the Rotary Youth Exchange Summer Program living with a host family and then hosted a student at her home in Onalaska.
Next Week: Jed Olson, Classification Talk
When Rotary was established by Paul Harris and three others, each person came from a different walk of life. This diversity is a cornerstone of Rotary. The intent is to have a cross-section of business and professional experiences in your community.
For decades Rotary International listed a range of professional “classifications” and restricted how many representatives of each could be in a club. This ensures that each club reflects the community in which it serves. It also reminds us to not have one profession as a dominant voice in our club. Over time, these restrictions have pretty much given way, but your classification continues to be of great interest to your fellow club members. That’s why your Rotary badge carries your name and your classification.
Classification talks help us learn about the life experiences and professional backgrounds of new members.
Meal for This Week
Lunch this week: Smoked pork loin with wild mushroom jus (GF/DF), served with cheddar mashed potatoes(GF) and vegetables. Vegetarian option is Tofu curry with rice (crispy tofu, mushrooms, carrots, peppers, and broccoli.
Vegetarian Members - Please get a vegetarian meal tag from Sue upon check-in to give to the serving staff who will provide a meal for you.
Guests are ALWAYS welcome! RSVP in advance to Niki Pohnlby the end of day Monday for the meal on Thursday.
Avenues of Service
Over 158 area Rotarians gathered to celebrate projects and people. Congratulations to our 2025-26 Lifetime Achievement winner, Marissa Dickinson! CLICK HERE to see photos of the evening.
We loo forward to meeting her at our Thursday meeting.
CLICK HERE to sign up or view more upcoming opportunities
Place of Grace
Food prep, serve, dine, clean up
Thursday, September 10th
La Crosse Community Theatre Usher
Thursday, September 17th
6pm
Hmong New Year Celebration
Admissions Ticket Sales
September 19 & 20
Oktoberfest Admission Ticket Sales
Friday, September 25th
3 shifts available
(This is also a fundraiser for our club!)
New Member Proposal
The following community member has been proposed to become a member of our club:
Kirk Bennett, Western Technical College President, proposed by Julie Lemon
According to club procedure, applicant names are to be published in our weekly email bulletin for two weeks. If there are no objections from the current membership, these applications will be approved. Please contact the Club Administrator if you object to these proposals by August 25th.
Rotary After Hours (RAH) is holding its annual Mini-Masters golfing event to raise funds for youth exchange programs. This year's event will take place on Saturday, September 19, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Riverside Amusement Park (1304 Interchange Place, La Crosse). Valley View Rotary Club will put a team together to participate, so please see Amy Bettis to sign up for a fun afternoon!
RAH is also seeking event sponsors and raffle donations. Please see Nancy Schmidt for additional information.
FOUNDATION MINUTE FOR August 17, 2026 Welcome to Week THREE of RI’s Month of Membership & New Club Development.
The Foundation Minute this week is a report from Akanji Alowolodu of Apex News Exclusive about a joint project aimed at providing clean, potable water to underserved areas of Bauchi in NE Nigeria. The Rotary Foundation International, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Blue Springs, Missouri; Julie Agada Foundation and Rotary Club of Bauchi Central in Bauchi State of Nigeria, have dug twelve hand pump boreholes worth N15m ( $10, 835USD) for twelve communities in Bauchi in order to mitigate the problem of water in the communities. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Founder and sponsor of the Julie Agada Foundation, William Agada, who is a foreign-based footballer, said the project was aimed at supporting communities with access to safe drinking water considering the hardship they are facing in getting good and safe water.
According to him, “I decided to come up with the project in partnership with Rotary in the USA and in Bauchi as a way to give back to society…I am a footballer presently in the USA; Bauchi is my community and this is just the beginning of such interventions,” he said. President of Rotary Club of Bauchi Central, Ms. Comfort Attah, explained that members of the Club would conduct routine checks on the facilities to ascertain their operational and maintenance status. Also speaking, Morris Choji, a past President of the Rotary Club of Bauchi Central, urged the benefiting communities to take ownership of the facilities to ensure constant access to safe drinking water.
